Inkanta
Group: Admins
Posts: 1453
Joined: Feb. 2000 |
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Posted: Mar. 22 2003, 15:12 |
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The reason is multi-faceted. Foremost is the lack of marketing. For example, prior to the release of Peter Gabriel's Up CD, in Chicago, anyway, there were TV ads--so first there were the ads, then the CD, then the tour.
Chicago has a Virgin Megastore. Considering Mike's role in the Virgin empire, you'd think that there, at least, all of his CDs would be available. Nope--only a handful of titles.
TV promos would be great--they cut across listener preferences. Also needed would be targeted ads in mags. Which mags? Here is another challenge, which has generated discussion in the forums here, as well as on various mailing lists over the years: how do you categorize his music? I've seen it in everything from Pop, Jazz, New Age, Easy Listening (I complained to the store manager that there isn't anything easy about listening to MO), and the Import section. This makes it more challenging to target specific listening populations. Personally, I'd go for Rolling Stone and something New Age. But others as well. Get it reviewed in places like Stereo Review. Hit the online mags.
He should also try for TV and radio appearances. If Mike appeared on Oprah, were marketed in New York, LA, and Chicago, and toured there, I think that his popularity would rise exponentially. There could be lots of angles to an Oprah appearance. (-: One time I wrote in to Terry Gross' Fresh Air program and suggested that Mike would be a great guest. (That's an National Public Radio program.) He could also be on NPR's All Things Considered, which airs during the rush-hour drive home. Oh--and an MTV/VHS video. Need one of those. For the MVR game, he should also be attending the major gaming shows. That's another entire audience. Wonder what the overlap would be between gamers and listeners?
Without doing a spot of research which I don't have time to do, I don't know offhand demographic information regarding USA residents' listening habits. How many CDs, audiotapes, etc. are sold each year? How do sales break out by type of music? What age group? There is such a diversity of musical interests, and Mike's stuff cuts across many categories. That will make it easier and more difficult at the same time.
It's amazing to me how many people have actually heard of Mike, or have listened to him. We had stopped to refuel tank and tummies on a road trip in mid-Ohio several years ago. I was sporting an MO t-shirt and ended up giving a restaurant worker the web address for Dark Star and tubular.net. (-:
Sometimes people recognize the tubular bell decal on the back of my car (though others think its a pipe and the AMAROK license plate is a cult, makes me a Simon & Garfunkel fan, or is a theosophical society).
It seems to me that if a well-planned, concerted effort were made to market Mike's material, that more would indeed like Mike's music. To hear it is to like it.  Even my mother liked Voyager and Guitars. My stepdaughter has gone on to buy some of his albums independent of gifts from me.
So....he needs a solid marketing plan, if he is interested in the USA market. The alternative is to not bother. Rely on the relatively few of us to import the CDs, spread the music to our friends and relatives. If I were Mike & record company and had the fortitude & energy, I'd mount one last marketing campaign for the USA and see what happens.
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"No such thing as destiny; only choices exist." From: Moongarden's "Solaris."
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